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Derived from the Latin word \u2018pastor\u2019 \u2013 meaning \u2018shepherd\u2019 \u2013 pastoral music is, in short, that which depicts and celebrates the countryside. Ever since Roman times \u2013 not least when, through the poems of Virgil and Horace, the emperor Augustus urged his people to get off their backsides and head to the great outdoors \u2013 pastoral themes have been a constant in literature, art and, of course, music.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, composers have portrayed specific sounds of the countryside \u2013 weather, for instance, or birdsong \u2013 while on others they have gone for a more generic depiction of the countryside and the emotions it inspires. Here are five of the finest examples\u2026<\/p>\n
Composed for the entertainment of the ultra-wealthy Earl of Carnarvon and his guests at his out-of-town estate, Handel\u2019s \u2018pastoral opera\u2019 is based on a tale told in Ovid\u2019s Metamorphoses<\/em>. Acis, a shepherd, is in love with the nymph Galatea but, alas for him, so is the fearsome cyclops, which puts something of a spanner into the works. Despite this, much of the work has a fresh, feel-good air, with the opening chorus \u2018Oh, the pleasure of the plain\u2019 and the Galatea\u2019s following recitative, \u2018Ye verdant plains and woody mountains\u2019 setting the tone for what is to come.<\/p>\n Recommended recording: Crowe \/ Curnyn\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n